As a child getting up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons was the highlight of the day and picking out a Disney movie from a large collection of VHS tapes was part of every kid’s weekly routine. Cartoons or animated movies were one of the few outlets of entertainment that seemed to understand a person as a child, they were silly, outlandish, and outright eccentric, and reflections of who we were as children. Now as adults, we don’t have many animated movies to cling to, most of them are PG-rated for children with a few jokes thrown in there that only adults would understand.

The animated feature Sausage Party takes just that idea and gives adults a cartoon film just for them. The movie is raunchy, hilarious and filled with every sexual innuendo (the sausages want to hook up with buns), stereotype (the Sauerkraut bottles are Nazis), and food related joke (the Horseradish jars literally turn into horses) in the book. A film of this magnitude and content could only be co-written of course by one of the few duo’s in Hollywood that could pull this off, Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, the stoner minds behind Superbad and Pineapple Express.

The film is about the lives of the food in a supermarket called Shopwell, all the food there believes that when they are chosen by a shopper they will be taken to the “great beyond,” or the outside world, where all their wildest dreams will come true. Every day for them starts off with a musical number led off by Corn, a happy song they play for the Gods. Firewater (Bill Hader), an Indian can of lighter fluid, has every food in the store believing that the great beyond is a wonderful and magical place.

Frank (Seth Rogen) the sausage and the rest of his wiener pals, specifically loud mouthed Carl (Jonah Hill) and Barry (Michael Cera), the awkwardly shaped sausage in the package, wait for the fateful day that they will be chosen. They hope to be picked next to their counterparts, the bun gals, who will one day be mated with a sausage. Then the impossible happens after a jar of Honey Mustard (Danny McBride) is returned. Honey Mustard proclaims to everyone that the outside world is filled with monsters who will eat them.

When Frank and Brenda’s packages are finally chosen they are super excited to be in the supermarket cart together. A bottle of Douche (Nick Kroll) is also chosen, who is literally the representation of a “douche.” He talks with a Jersey Shore accent and is super obnoxious. Then the unthinkable happens and a huge accident happens where many of the items fall to the floor. Frank and Brenda are thrown from the cart, along with Douche who is now bent, broken and angry that he is no longer whole. Douche is hell bent on revenge and wants to kill Frank. From here what ensues is a hilarious and just outright crazy.

Along the way, Frank and Brenda run into Sammy Bagel Jr. (Edward Norton) and Lavash (David Krumholtz) who are also lost and looking for their way back to their aisle. Together the four of them join forces and encounter a random array of characters, there is Teresa the Taco (Salma Hayek), Grits (Craig Robinson), Gum (Scott Underwood) who is in a wheelchair and talks like Stephen Hawking, Tequila (Bill Hader) who cannot be trusted, and even a crazy guy on bath salts (James Franco).

The film is hilarious from beginning to end and I really have never seen anything like this before. I mean there are some funny and out there cartoons on Adult Swim from the Cartoon Network, and then there is Family Guy, which throws out some pretty raunchy jokes itself, but this movie takes everything and amps it up about a thousand notches.

At some points, I even found myself cringing a bit, but what can you expect from a movie with talking sausages. I think the creators knew they had to go there with this format, otherwise I think they would have been criticized for not pushing the envelope enough. The story faults a bit here and there where it starts off strong in the first half and towards the second loses some of its focus, but overall I think the film worked.

I thought Rogen killed it, his voice is perfect for this type of movie and Wiig, despite being just a voice was phenomenal and her humor resonated even as a cartoon character. I can guarantee she will be doing more animated voices soon. Cera was also funny and his voice was perfect for the abnormal hot dog. My favorite character had to be Gum, he was the smart one of the bunch who can never die because gum just doesn’t ever go away. Just seeing a piece of gum in a wheelchair with glasses was just too funny.

This is a perfect movie to see with friends or just for a night of laughter. I bet this movie will be a hit when it is released on DVD because I am sure it only gets funnier after watching it a few times. But I have to warn you after watching this movie, you will never feel the same way about picking out your produce and condiments at the supermarket again.

Fifty Shades Darker
Directed by James Foley
Written by Niall Leonard, based on the novel by E.L. James

The sequel heard around the world is finally coming to theaters, Fifty Shades Darker, seemingly from the title anticipates the story going deeper (no pun intended) than the last and pushing back the layers around the characters that are Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and the formidable Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). The director of the first one bailed Sam Taylor-Johnson and has now been replaced by director James Foley. Whereas the first one served to push the envelope a bit and introduce audiences to the characters and the world of S&M, the second one felt like a clichéd version of what audiences would expect.

Corny one liners and a banal storyline, I felt like I was watching a cheesy Hallmark movie with some sex scenes sprinkled into it. So much of it felt predictable and any suspense that was built up was instantly solved in a few minutes.

The sequel is about Anastasia and Christian coming back together because he simply cannot live without her. Except this time around she renegotiates her terms with him and wants to have just a real, normal relationship. The problem is can Christian handle, as she says a vanilla relationship? Meaning one without the constant badgering to play dom and sub in the bedroom and one where boyfriends don’t dictate your relationship like a legal arrangement. Christian is used to being in control, it’s what excites him, it’s what gets him off in every area of his life, but this time around he agrees to try this type of relationship out with her because she is worth it in every sense of the word.

Anastasia is trying to lead a normal life, she finally got the job of her dreams, a position at a publishing house and wants so eagerly to impress her boss Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson). He is as equally enticing and sexy as Christian, but in a different way. He’s smart, he likes books as much as Anastasia and appears to be much more laid back. Immediately Christian cannot handle the fact that she has a boss and starts to try to manage her life, even trying to stop her from going on a work trip to New York City.

What envelops from here is a story so ridiculous that I wasn’t sure whether to roll my eyes or laugh. In the sequel, we find out more about Christian’s tortured past and meet the elusive Elena, who first showed him the ropes of the S&M world when he was young. I loved that Kim Basinger played the character, in a way as an homage to her original bad ass character from 9 ½ Weeks, who unleashed her sexuality in the days before every movie had gratuitous sex scenes in it. What wasn’t great was the fact that she was underused in the film. I would have loved to have seen her do something interesting or mind grabbing with Christian, instead she remains as a foreground character, fourth to all the other nonsensical characters in the film.

I found the sex scenes in Darker, to push the envelope a bit more, which was what I expected. Ben Wa balls and an adjustable leg spreader bar and cuffs (curious minds should look both those up), take the scenes up a notch. As she tells Christian at one point, “I was being romantic and then you go and distract me with your kinky f—kery.” What’s different this time around is that Anastasia is much more willing to explore her kinky side in the bedroom. Whereas before she may have turned away or felt scared, this time she is curious and wants to play.

The movie is filled with leg grinding, lace panties, and sexy heels, and Dornan’s beautiful body. Director Foley gave audiences just what they wanted in that arena. As far as the storyline goes, it was simply lacking and unfocused. Many of the lines felt sterile and banal, but I guess this movie really isn’t going for Oscar worthy screenwriting. Although it could be nominated for a Razzie award. If you are a fan of the first one, then my guess is that curiosity will lead you to the theaters. The film could be fun to see with friends, have a good laugh, and see Dornan’s abs (it’s worth it just for that alone), but that’s about it. If none of that peaks your interest, then I would suggest saving your hard-earned dollars and waiting to see this one until it comes out on video.

Grief is a feeling that everyone faces differently. There is no guidebook for how one should feel when they lose someone important to them. It is those subtle nuances of how a person copes with death that are explored in the film Manchester by the Sea. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, he creates a film that shows the realities of dealing with grief and heartbreak, from the decisions one faces when laying someone to rest to the pervasive memories of the past with that person. Life is never easy and we rarely know when life is throwing us a curveball or a perfect set of aces, these matters are out of our hands as human beings, but it is how we deal with what life hands us that shapes us as people. Lonergan explores these nuances of life and death and masterfully shapes them, paired with the tremendous acting performances in this film, it is guaranteed to be an Oscar contender.

Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a lowly, quiet janitor living in Boston, his life is simple and monotonous, yet he doesn’t seem hampered by it at all. When his older brother passes away, Joe (Kyle Chandler) he rushes back to his hometown of Manchester, where he soon finds out that his brother has granted him to be the sole guardian of his teenage son Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Lee is dumbfounded, confused, and doesn’t really understand why he was left to oversee him. Patrick’s mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) is nowhere to be found and Lee is all Patrick has left as a parental figure.

Throughout the film, we are given flashback into their lives together as brothers, and it is clear that Lee and Patrick had a strong bond. Joe would take them out on his fishing trawler and the three of them would head out into the sea, where they would catch fish, talk about life, and laugh together. Through these memories, we can gather that Lee was not only close to his brother, but had a cohesive, almost brother-like bond with his nephew. Joe leaves the boat to his son, and he is adamant besides the motor not working that he keeps the boat running, in a way, it is his way of reconnecting with his father and he is afraid to lose it. Lee wants to get rid of it, but never fully can act on it, because his most distinct memories were shaped on his brother’s boat.

Not only must Lee face raising a teenage boy, of which he knows nothing about doing, he allows him to have girls over and doesn’t provide many restrictions, but he must also deal with the fact that his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams) also lives in that town. From his flashbacks, we see that they had a loving life together, filled with some disarray, but nothing out of the ordinary and in the present time that no longer exists. He can barely look at her and doesn’t know what to say around her. With all the misfortunes that Lee has faced, the town of Manchester brings him many bad memories and constant reminders of the life he used to lead.

Affleck carried the film from beginning to end, and delivered a performance like no other he has given before. It was subtle, yet filled with such intensity, that one could feel every ounce of his depth without him saying anything. The unknowing of what life had in store for him could be read on his face. Lee appears broken and detached from all that is and has been his life. Affleck seemed to understand that and took all those distinct emotions and placed them into his character. I am sure that he will garner awards and accolades for his performance, this could be the one that sets him apart from other contenders.

Newcomer Hedges was astonishing as Patrick, not only do we feel moments of sadness for him, but we also get a sense of annoyance as he is just a teenage boy doing teenager-like things. He doesn’t completely grasp everything that is going on around him and we rarely see him break down and shrill for his father, instead we see that he is just trying to get on with his life. Hedges holds his own against Affleck and at times stole many of the scenes. The two played off each other perfectly and it worked.

The film not only makes you feel moments of sadness and sorrow, but I found myself laughing through a lot of it. As a viewer, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions, crying one minute and wiping away my tears and laughing the next. There are so few films, that can pull such emotions out of the viewer. Life isn’t always sad, nor is it always funny, but Lonergan is able to weave the dynamics of both and create a film that is thought-provoking and unique. I have my own inner meter of how I know a film is good in my eyes, and it is when days go by and I cannot stop thinking about it, and that’s how I felt with this film. The director along with the entire ensemble cast make this movie work and it is one that should not be missed.

Musicals came into popularity after World War II and provided audiences with a much needed relief from the issues that were going on in the world. They were idyllic, romantic, and in a sense magical; the Ginger Rogers’ and Fred Astaire’s of that era exuded charisma and charm, and viewers couldn’t help, but fall in love with the joyous stories that unfolded on the screen. Writer and director Damien Chazelle, once again brings his musicality as he did in Whiplash to his new film La La Land, and creates a film that is as reminiscent of the past as it is unique to the present. La La Land feels like an ode to classical movies without being cliché or a copy of anything else. Instead it was a magical and rare film that lent itself to unfolding a love story that was beautiful and exciting to watch.

The film is about the lives of two struggling and aspiring performers, Mia (Emma Stone) works as a barista on the Warner Brothers lot and is trying to land any job in the acting biz and Sebastian or Seb (Ryan Gosling) a jazz pianist who wants to live his dream of being a working musician. The two of them are passionate about their dreams and relentless in trying to make them come true, but the realities of trying to make it in Hollywood are tough.

When Mia goes on casting calls, the agents look at their phones and could care less about her feelings and when Sebastian tries to find music gigs, many of them land him in cover bands with ridiculous costumes.

In a city full of people, Mia and Sebastian happen to keep running into each other and it feels as if they were meant to meet. The two get each other and understand the passion each holds for their art. Sebastian hopes to one day open a jazz club like the ones of the past where Charlie Parker played, and Mia wants to perform in the movies like the ones she adored as a child. Both of them have a yearning to hold onto their dreams and together they help each other deal with the ups and downs that come with the harshness of the music and film industries.

As the two fall in love, their romance is intertwined with musical numbers. Mia wears a yellow dress with oxfords and glides on screen, reminiscent of a little bit of the naivete that Judy Garland possessed with that of the adorableness of Audrey Hepburn. Sebastian leads Mia in the dancing and singing, dressed in a retro suit and wing-tip shoes, and oozes charisma and charm like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Not to say that Gosling killed it like those dancers used to, but he did well and stood out as a true leading man like those of a yesteryear.

Gosling and Stone did wonderful in their performances and you could not help, but want to watch them. Stone truly carries the film and deserves an Oscar nod. The true winner of the film is Chazelle, his screenplay and direction were unique and it felt like a movie I have never seen before. He was able to capture the whimsy of those classical films and create a movie that is all his own. Where Whiplash hits you in the face with fear and anger at every cymbal smash, La La Land makes you feel like you are walking on a cloud and living in a bit of a dream.

The music in the film was paired wonderfully with the scenes, the songs never felt boring or too sing-songy like those we are used to seeing in musicals. It doesn’t hurt that John Legend provided his vocals and acting abilities to the film as well. The music was a good blend of jazz and classical and the soundtrack is worth a listen.

I kept on thinking throughout the movie that it reminded me of Casablanca, a film that makes you feel every emotion in the book. I adored this movie and highly recommend it. You do not have to be a fan of musicals or classic films to appreciate it. The film is timeless tribute to a bygone film era and can be enjoyed by all.

Sully
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Todd Komarnicki, adapted from the book by Chesley Sullenberger

Rarely do true heroes want accolades and admiration, think police officers, fire fighters, doctors, etc., instead most of them are quick to say that they were simply doing their job. In Clint Eastwood’s new film, Sully, he depicts the pilot Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) as a stoic, no frills type of hero. This isn’t a film about a man wearing a cape saving the world, instead it is about a man who saved dozens of lives or “souls” as he says, and lived to tell the story that would forever define his life.

The film is set on the real life events that occurred on January 15, 2009, also known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” when US Airways flight 1549 was set off course by a flock of geese that crippled both engines. Instead of heading back to La Guardia airport as suggested by radio air traffic controllers, Sully and his co-pilot Jeffrey Zaslow (Aaron Exckhart) made the decision to land the plane on the Hudson River. A feat never done before and one that is rarely if ever successful. The plane landed in the water and every single passenger and aircrew member survived. To say that what happened that day was a miracle, is an understatement.

Much like Eastwood’s most notable previous film American Sniper, he once again brings audiences up-close and personal through life and death matters. The traumatic event isn’t shown as expected, as in the beginning of the movie, instead the events are shown in a dispersed manner. They are cut with Sully’s nightmares of what could have been that day, scenes that look reminiscent 9/11, with the plane coming tremendously close and exploding into New York City buildings. One of the main features of the film that I enjoyed was that all the credit was not given to Sully, the point is made that it was a combined effort of the pilots, first responders, and everyone involved in the rescue that made this event not turn into a disaster.

The film vacillates between the heroic landing and the life that Sully must now endure, he is now a hero in the face of the public, but in his eyes he was just doing his job. He used his over 40 years of aviation experience and gut instincts to nail the landing and do what he knew was right in order to save everyone. Sully remains uncomfortable with the limelight and when he walks into a NYC bar and sees his face all over the television, he almost doesn’t want to look up and see the news. He can’t seem to contend with that fact. The bartender quickly recognizes him and serves him a drink aptly created after the incident, a grey goose on the rocks with water, of course. We get light moments like this throughout the film, but the majority of it is tense and a bit nerve-wrecking, despite the fact that we know everyone will survive.

Although he was considered a hero, Sully must face the National Transportation Safety Board and withstand the second-guessing of his actions by investigators Charles Porter (Mike O’Malley) and Elizabeth Davis (Anna Gunn), who believe that he could have gone back to La Guardia without endangering everyone onboard by performing an emergency water landing. The courtroom scenes despite being repetitive were pivotal in helping the audience understand that what Sully did was the right thing and that without his quick-thinking actions it could have been a national disaster.

Hanks delivers on every level, his performance was subtle and nuanced. There was no dramatic breakdown, or moment where he empties out the mini-bar, instead we get the feeling that Sully is an everyman type of guy who loves his wife and family and just wants to do his job. Hanks remained calm and collected and didn’t over-perform the role, which in this case completely worked. Hanks’ performance took me back to the years where it seemed that he was winning an Oscar every year. It is likely that he could get nominated for his portrayal and it will be well-deserved.

Eastwood hit it out of the park with this one and I enjoyed every minute of the film. This movie deserves to be seen and if you enjoy dramas Sully is the one to watch.

It’s been 12 years since we last saw Helen Fielding’s infamous character Bridget Jones, the wait is over and she has returned and is somewhat better than ever. In the third installment of the series, Bridget Jones’s Baby, directed by Sharon Maguire, who by the way did not direct the second, which we will pretend never existed at this point, because it could possibly be one of the worst sequels in movie history, comes back and is now 43 years old and at a completely different stage in her life. Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is in a similar position as when we first met her back in 2001, sitting all alone in her apartment, but where in the first film she felt defeated, she is now okay with being single and happy that she has a great career as a successful news producer. She jumps around her house and embraces her place in the world.

What has changed now is that all her friends are married with babies, the weekly rant sessions at the bar have been replaced by catching up at children’s birthday parties. Everyone is too busy to hang out, but Bridget finds comfort in hanging out with her 30-something pals at the news station. Miranda (Sarah Solemani) the head reporter at the channel, is just as crazy and funny as Bridget and decides to take her on a weekend romp to a music festival. Once again, we are reminded that she is still the bumbling mess she has always been when she meets Jack Quant (Patrick Dempsey) and decides to have a roll in the hay with him.

Back at home, Bridget continues to run into Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and it is obvious that a connection still exists. You could hear the beating hearts and internal swooning of every woman in the theater every time he entered the screen. Darcy is still the same stern face, no-nonsense guy as before and despite his lack of emotional communication skills, Bridget is still endeared to him. There is just something about the two of them that is magnetic and infectious to watch. I think it reminds people of unrequited love and the ephemeral feeling of the “one that got away.”

Being that the film is about a baby, well you can guess what happens to Bridget. She becomes pregnant and must figure out who the real father is because it could be either Jack or Mark. What ensues from here, is all typical Bridget and it worked. Many of the scenarios and scenes in the film were similar to those in the first, but it didn’t feel trite and overplayed, it actually made sense and was fun to watch. I think Zellweger’s personality shined through and reminded us why we loved her character so much. Bridget is not living in a perfect world and doesn’t do everything right, nor does she always want to do the right thing, like most women in rom-com movies do, and that’s what makes her so loveable. She is every girl and despite being a mess, still a great role model for women. She stands up for what she believes in even if it embarrasses her and she is willing to own up to her mistakes.

Zellweger was great in the film and it was great to see her back on the screen after being gone from the movie industry for over 6 years. Her smile is infectious and you just can’t help, but love her all over here again. What can I say, she had me at hello. Firth was equally great, he always delivers and knows how to play the Darcy role to perfection. Dempsey was great as the other viable father, he was charming and sweet and reminded everyone how he got that McDreamy nickname in the first place. Solemani stood out to me. I haven’t seen her in much and I have to say she almost stole the movie from Bridget. I would love to see a spin off on her life and mishaps.

If you enjoyed the first film, then you will definitely love this one. It’s funny, quirky, silly, not the best movie in the world, but fun to watch and really that is the whole reason we go to movies in the first place. This is the perfect movie to see with girlfriends and a great reminder that even though life isn’t always perfect, if Bridget can make the best of it, so can we.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Written by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone
Directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone

The guys from Lonely Island, best known for their hilarious SNL digital shorts where they typically team up with famous singers or actors and make faux music videos, were finally handed the keys to make their own full-length feature film. Naturally they took their usual style and spin on music and created a mockumentary about a Justin Bieber-esque character. In the film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, we see the rise and fall of the legendary rapper and pop star Conner 4 Real (Andy Samberg). The film is treated literally like a documentary, there are pauses where they ask to turn the camera off and subtitles for when the subjects are talking too low for the mic to catch.

Conner 4 Real was once a member of the notorious Style Boyz, think the Beastie Boys mixed with the Backstreet Boys, he and his childhood friends Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer) started the group out of their backyard and became mega stars. One of their most popular albums and songs was the Donkey Roll, a song that even had a dance to go with it. While the backstory is played, they show home videos from when the guys were young and interject them with interviews from such notorious artists as Nas, 50 Cent, Pharrell Williams, and Usher, all who talk about how the Style Boyz touched their lives and inspired their music. This touch makes the movie pretty funny and laughable.

The problem lies in that Conner 4 Real leaves the Style Boyz to become a solo artist, in the process disowning Lawrence and hiring Owen to be his backup DJ, where in Owen just becomes another one of his people he bosses around. Conner is now a huge star and does the craziest of concerts, with everything from set changes, a Daft punk like helmet for Owen to wear on stage, and multiple holograms of Adam Levine. The film follows the release of his newest album, Connquest, one where he has now gone above and beyond with ludicrous lyrics and horrible beats. Conner like many stars of today is followed by minions of “yes” men, basically an entourage of people who just tell him how great he is all the time, so he can’t see how crappy his music has really turned out.

All Owen wants is for Conner to realize how crappy his music has really turned out and for the Style Boyz to get back together. Lawrence is now stuck on a farm doing really random weird things like whittling wood and hanging out with goats, and doesn’t want anything to do with Conner. His manager (Tim Meadows) also tries to steer him in the right direction, but he just won’t listen. What ensues from here is a journey in which Conner has to realize who he is and how to reconnect back with his passion for music.

The movie was really funny, I found myself laughing nonstop at many of the ridiculous moments. I could see this film becoming a staple for college kids to watch. There’s not much substance to the film though but I am not sure how much of it is it supposed to have? I mean it’s a movie about a ridiculous Vanilla Ice slash Justin Bieber type character. I can’t pinpoint it one hundred percent, but I left feeling like something was missing. The film served its purpose in being hysterical, but it almost just felt like a really long SNL sketch.

Samberg and Taccone were hilarious and did a great job at creating many funny sarcastic scenes. Meadows always delivers in his usual cynical and ironic tone. The cameos in this film worked because they only made the material even more absurd. Especially Will Arnett who plays a character like Harvey Levin from TMZ, sipping tons of water and laughing at celebrities like they do on the show.

The film is a great one to watch if you are in the mood to just sit back and laugh. If you are looking for something with more substance and an edge, then this is not the movie for you. Overall, the Lonely Island men did a great job of making me laugh nonstop and if you are a fan of their digital shorts, then you will definitely enjoy this flick.